8/30/2011
Reed Hollinshead
ITD Communication
208-334-8881
reed.hollinshead@itd.idaho.gov
UPDATE: Speed limit returns to 55 mph on section of Idaho 55 from Horseshoe Bend to Banks
BOISE COUNTY - As the repaving project from just north of Horseshoe Bend to Banks wraps up, the speed limit on that stretch of Idaho 55 has returned to 55 mph in time for Labor Day holiday weekend travel.
During work, the speed limit had been reduced because guardrail had been removed to accommodate the roadwork. Without the guardrail, the highway speed had to be reduced to ensure drivers’ safety. The speed limit has been returned to 55 mph except on the sharpest curves, where the posted speed is 40 mph or less.
Crews will return over the next few weeks, following the holiday, to install delineators and add new reflective sheeting to the concrete guardrail on four of the sharpest curves and highest accident locations in that 14-mile stretch. Crews also have a few other items to correct. There should be no significant traffic impacts.
The project also involved repair work to the South Fork Payette River Bridge near Banks, which finished just prior to Memorial Day. The deck of the bridge received a silica fume treatment to prevent further corrosion and penetration by water and salts.
Knife River Corp., of Boise, is the contractor on this $2.6 million project.